Wednesday, June 19, 2013

“Oh The Places You’ll Go”

by Noelle on January 25, 2013

One of my favorite books from Dr. Seuss is titled “Oh The Places You’ll Go”.  I like to think that reading this book as a child inspired my desire to travel.

A few weeks ago, I was cleaning out our game closet and came upon a puzzle of the United States.  I pulled it out and started to put it together adding all the states that I had visited…

 As I sat and looked at my partially completed puzzle, I enjoyed the memories of the different trips that led me across the country.  A cross-country train ride and tour of the Northeast when I was 12 years old with my mother.  Camping trips California and in Utah and a college-hunting trip to Washington state made up my childhood travels.

Years later, I have enjoyed exploring different parts of the country.  We arrive in one city, rent a car and then drive from place to place.  Recent road trips have taken me from Georgia up to New York, Michigan through Missouri and Ohio to Vermont.

One of the things I love about traveling is to observe the different types of birds and plants of each region, that I may not see near my Arizona home…

A Northern Cardinal from Joplin, Missouri

A Robin in Springfield, Illinois

Hyacinths in Holland, Michigan

and

Beautyberry from Williamsburg, Virginia.

I must admit that since playing with the United States puzzle, I am anxious to start filling in the blank spaces with visits to states that I have not visited before.

This coming year, I will be visiting Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada.  Since I have never visited Wisconsin or Minnesota before, I will soon be able to fill in those blank spaces on my puzzle.

I can hardly wait to see what different birds and plants I will get the opportunity to see.

“Oh The Places You’ll Go”

What states have you enjoyed visiting?

What kinds of different birds and plants have you seen in your travels?

**For a list of state birds, check out this article.

 

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Get Your Roses Ready For Winter

by Noelle on November 13, 2012

Have you ‘tucked’ in your roses in for winter yet?  Or maybe you live in a warmer climate and your roses are still blooming like mine.

Well, whether you live where snow falls or live in an area with warm winters – your roses need help getting ready for winter.

Let’s start with those of you live in zones 6 and below:

- Water your roses deeply (about 18 inches).  This should be done after the first frost.  Roses will be using this water throughout winter.

- Pile soil over your rise so that it covers the bud union by at 1 foot.  This should be done in the fall.  Pull off any remaining leaves off of your rose at this time.

- Once the ground has frozen, cover the mound of soil with mulch about a foot thick.  Compost, leaves and straw make excellent mulches and can be spread around your roses in spring.

If you live in zones 7 or 8, winter rose care is somewhat easier:

- Simply mound your rose with mulch so that the bud union is covered by 1 foot.

For those of you who live in zones 9 and above, like me:

- Roses are often still blooming in the fall.  Go ahead and lightly fertilize throughout November.  Stop fertilizing in December.

- Prune back your rose bushes in January.  Sometimes, your rose bush may still be blooming, but it is important to prune them back at this time.  Remove all remaining leaves from your rose bushes at this time.

Whichever type of winter you live in; your roses will appreciate your help getting through the winter.

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Winter hummingbirds

by SeEtta (South Central) on November 12, 2012

Hummingbirds are found during the winter in a number of areas of the United States and even in southern parts of Canada.  Arizona has hosted not only Anna’s Hummingbird during the winter but also Black-chinned and Costas Hummingbirds. Anna’s Hummingbird are year-round residents along the Pacific Coast from Baja California north as far as parts of British Columbia and  sometimes other hummer species show up in these areas during winter months.

The Gulf Coast states from Texas to Florida along with other Southeastern states host a number of wintering hummingbirds. From late fall through early winter Rufous Hummingbirds are the most frequently reported hummer species in the Eastern U.S.   This is very interesting since this species breeds from the far southeastern coast of Alaska down through western Canada into northwestern states.  An interesting article on Smithsonian.com describes how hummingbird banders are at the forefront of documenting the changing migration of these Rufous hummers.

Rufous and other hummers are being reported also in more northern states during late fall and winter in the East, Mid-West and even into southeast parts of Canada. There is even a hummingbird banding and research group that focuses on the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana areas.

There are current reports (through Nov. 8) of a Calliope Hummingbird near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and of an Allen’s Hummingbird (through Nov. 11) in southwestern Massachusetts.

If you want to keep out one or more hummingbird feeders this winter but are in a location where they may freeze, the pioneering hummingbird bander and researcher Bob Sargent has some excellent information on the Hummer Bird Study Group website. That website also has pages with species accounts for several hummer species that is most interesting including the following: “Rufous hummingbirds are very cold hardy. They are hatched in a cold climate, they spend nights on nesting grounds where the temperatures are near freezing. They migrate down mountain corridors where the temperatures are cold. Finally, these U.S. Rufous are continually being refined by the genes of cold hardy ancestors that have endured severe winters.”

Do you keep one or more hummingbird feeders out into winter?

Have you ever had hummer visits to your feeder in winter?

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Got Allergies? Avoid These Plants…

by Noelle on September 21, 2012

Do you suffer from allergies?  I do.  I always know when fall is on its way when my eyes and nose begin to itch.

Of course, if you have allergies in the fall, then you almost certainly get them in spring too.  This fall, forecasters are calling for warmer then usual temperatures and a long allergy season.  So, in addition to stocking up on allergy medication, what else can you do to help minimize your allergy symptoms?

A great starting point is to avoid plants that are highly-allergenic – meaning that their pollen causes allergies in many people.

Plants Commonly Known to Cause Allergies:

Grasses: Most grasses cause allergies including Bahia, Bermuda, Blue Fescue, Bluegrass, Centipede, Fountain Grass, Ryegrass and Timothy grass.

Trees: Ash, Arizona cypress, birch, Catalpa, cedar, cottonwood, elm, eucalyptus, juniper, mulberry, oaks, olive, pecan, poplar, privet, red cedar, silver maple, sumac and willow.

Weeds: Like grass, most weeds can cause allergies too.  Dandelion, goosefoot, lamb’s quarters, pigweed, ragweed and tumbleweed.

If you suffer from allergies, then it is wise to avoid these plants, which could help lessen your allergy symptoms.

There is more you can do in your own landscape to help you cope with allergy season. On Tuesday, I’ll talk about a number of things that you can do in your own landscape to reduce the amount of pollen that causes allergies and what types of plants that do NOT cause allergies.

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Fall Vegetables…What Will You Plant?

by Noelle on August 31, 2012

Even though much of September is technically summer – just the fact that August is over makes me feel like fall is already here.  It probably has something to do with wanting relief from the heat of summer ;-)

Well, it may still be summer, BUT it is time to get your fall vegetable garden planted if you live in zones 5 and up.

Earlier this week, we talked about how to get your soil ready for planting in “Preparing Your Fall Vegetable Garden”.

This weekend, I will head out to the nursery for compost and manure to add to my vegetable gardens.  Once my soil is ready, I will start planting vegetable seeds.

Before you start planting, you need to know when to plant for your zone.  Here is a link that will guide you to a list of vegetables along with their planting dates organized by planting zone.  If you don’t know what zone you live in, there is a place to enter your zip code which will tell you what zone you live in.

What will you plant this year in your fall vegetable garden?

This is what I have planned for my garden…

Broccoli (a few days old)

Spinach

I will be enjoying this all winter and spring!

Young carrots (before thinning them out)

Green Onions (just sprouted)

Garlic (planted from individual garlic cloves)

*You can read how I planted my garlic last year – “Grow Your Own Garlic”.

Leaf Lettuce seedlings

This first planting will provide enough lettuce through January, when I will plant new lettuce seeds.

Cauliflower

I plant ALL of my vegetables from seed, except for cauliflower (which can be hard to grow from seed) and garlic (which I grow from individual garlic cloves).

Of course, these are just a sampling of what kinds of vegetables you can grow in the fall.  You may want to include asparagus, beets, cabbage, collards, onions, radishes and turnips.

Once you taste vegetables, fresh from your garden, you’ll be hooked!

What will you plant in your vegetable garden this fall?

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Identifying Unknown Bird: Western Kingbird

August 10, 2012

How often do you encounter a bird that you cannot identify? I admit that I enjoy seeing a new bird species and having to research it to find out more. One of my favorite places where I find many different species, is our local riparian preserve.  It was on one of these visits that I [...]

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The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming–Feb 17-20,2012

February 2, 2012

Join thousands of your friends and neighbors–and make your birds count–by taking part in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count. Save these dates: February 17-20.   It is free and you can count the birds in your backyard, in your local park or a nearby wildlife refuge or anyplace you are able to legally access.   This [...]

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Great Horned Owl: hoo-hoo hoooooo hoo-hoo

January 28, 2012

I heard a Great Horned Owl calling ‘hoo-hoo hoooo hoo-hoo’ from a neighbors tree a few nights ago reminding me that January and February are some of the best times of the year to hear their very deep territorial calls. Though these owls may call at other times of the year, they engage in the [...]

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2012 Birding Festival season has begun

January 25, 2012

The first major birding festival of the 2012 season–the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival–begins today and runs through this week-end. Though online registration is closed, their facebook page reports they have “many Field Trips and Classroom Presentations available” at the Festival headquarters on the Brevard Community College (BCC) – Titusville Campus, 1311 N. US [...]

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Dreaming of a Spring Garden

December 14, 2011

Every year at work, just after Christmas, we put out the seeds for the gardeners; usually they are set up before the new year or just after. Vegetable seeds…..herbs…..wonderful flowers. I always make my purchases, dreaming of how the flowers will look, the usefulness of my favorite herbs in the kitchen. Then I wait for the right time, [...]

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The Kestrel vs. the Car

December 12, 2011

  My son in law came into the house today saying, “Mom, I need your help.” As he was driving a bird flew down in front of his car. The kestrel attempts to fly out of a closed window. Check out this raptar’s claws! Instead of putting the brakes on he continued to slowly drive. [...]

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Photos of the birds adjusting to the cold

December 10, 2011

I love living in an area with changing seasons.  This morning, with coffee in hand, I took a few minutes to snap what my birds are dealing with this week…and it is still early in the season (or late fall, if you still don’t feel like it is winter). Hope you enjoy.       [...]

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The versatility of the Hydrangea

December 4, 2011

I am house sitting for a friend who seemed to think the cold season is best spent in Florida. The home is in a quiet neighborhood, and Irene, who comes from England, loves to try the different plants, do minor landscaping a few times throughout the year.  This morning I discovered she still has hydrangeas [...]

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